quote:

Originally posted by r0gue:
I use a Honda EU2200 for my furnace and cell/flashlight charging needs. And a lamp. For the big outages in the bad winters.

How do you guys hook this up to just your furnace? Do you go thru your main panel? Or wire some sort of selector switch input into the furnace?

I had an outlet, like a 50amp marine or RV one, installed on the outside of the house to feed the main panel. Inside the main panel, there’s a lockout plate that prevents the breaker connected to the outlet from feeding the panel unless the main breaker connected to the utility feed is off. This way I can use the existing breakers to power whatever circuits I want.

The Honda E2000 series will easily handle the startup of a 700 watt load.
I have two of them that are 10 years old and they 'keep on ticking'.
As far as the HF and other generic units are concerned even a slight db increase above the Honda is remarkable sound wise.
Get the numbers on both and try to find examples of what they really sound like.

Honda is the #1 inverter generator and Yamaha is not very far behind it.

The Champion is a great choice as far as bang for your buck. Less than half the cost of the Honda and a better warranty than the HF Predator (3 years vs 90 days). I have the non dual fuel version which I use for my camper. They’re available usually at Tractor Supply.

quote:

Originally posted by lastmanstanding:
I had a Champion 2000 dual fuel invertor generator. Think it ran $600 it was every bit as quiet as a Honda and it just ran. Had lots more features than a Honda. A led panel that would tell you how many hours of run time you had on the amount of gas you had left, what percentage of available power you were using and a little flip up led light that would illuminate the gas fill hole for refueling at night.

The option of running on propane or gas was very nice.

I went with the Champion 2500 Dual Fuel. In my case this will be used for camping and I like the idea of carrying a 20 lb propane tank or two rather than messing with gas cans.

quote:

Originally posted by ranger312:
How do you guys hook this up to just your furnace? Do you go thru your main panel? Or wire some sort of selector switch input into the furnace?

Really depends on how the furnace is wired in.

In my case, there was a dedicated 110 outlet and the furnace plugged in (dedicated 20a wiring and plug) and I was able to run an 20a extension cord for the furnace and then a second 15a cord for the fridge and a light.

I was told that this was not to code, and the furnace was hard-wired to the panel when I had it upgraded. They asked if I wanted a switched fixed plug to allow running the furnace from a generator, but upgraded to an outside plug wired into the panel with an interlock that allows for (almost) whole house power instead.

My needs for a generator were similar with an added RV. I really wanted a Yamaha EF2200. At the time there were back ordered. Ended up with the Honda EU 2200. It was a close second on my list, and was in stock. It also has a 30 amp receptacle for the RV, which is handy.

Good luck

quote:

Originally posted by Veeper:
I’m not an electrician, but I recently bought a tri-fuel generator from Costco, and had a transfer switch installed. Everything done for under $1000 total.

Same here except for the dual fuel one. Generator is 9,400 watts, was $599. Had a transfer switch installed. Grand total less than $1K.

Then last year, I was walking through Costco and the 2000W inverter generator was on sale for $349. Scooped that up, it's still in the box.

Damn Costco impulse buys.

I’m going with the one you linked. Seemed like a good deal and should be here within a week. I’m going to get the reliance through the wall kit for 90 bucks since I’m not ready to spend several more hundred on transfer box. Thank you everyone for the advice.

quote:

Originally posted by gpbst3:
There were a couple generator threads a while back. I ended up getting a Champion inverter 6500w for about $800 on Amazon. It was the biggest bang for the buck I could find for an inverter.

Limited-time deal: Champion Power Equipment 100519 6250-Watt Open Frame Inverter with Quiet Technology https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K...JYKEZ87K1CN2HTCY33PK

quote:

Originally posted by ranger312:

quote:

Originally posted by r0gue:
I use a Honda EU2200 for my furnace and cell/flashlight charging needs. And a lamp. For the big outages in the bad winters.

How do you guys hook this up to just your furnace? Do you go thru your main panel? Or wire some sort of selector switch input into the furnace?

Something like this is what you want…

https://www.northerntool.com/s...AvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds